Blue Hills students learn the ins-and-outs of cosmetology

Monday

May 26, 2014 at 9:00 AM

By Brad Colebcole@wickedlocal.com

Having just past 400 hours of cosmetology experience, Ashley Simon had a chance to work with an actual client, instead of just a mannequin head."It was nerve racking. I was nervous, but I got what I needed to get done, and in the end, it looked great," Simon said. "With people, you have to be a lot more careful. You can't just whip them around. You have to be a lot more polite and consider their feelings."Simon, of Norwood, is one of 62 students currently enrolled in the cosmetology program at Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton. This program, which provides students with 1,000 hours of training, prepares them for the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Cosmetologists practical exam. This tests the students on a number of techniques, including basic facials, makeup application, braiding, shampooing and general infection control and safety."I feel really prepared for the test. We take tests every Friday, we do book work and we do practical work," Senior Elizabeth Gitau of Randolph said. "With the practical, I think I'm good with that. We do that stuff every day, and I think I'm set."She said her bigger concern with the exam is the 100 multiple-choice questions that cover her four years of training. It's a matter of studying, and she hopes she'll ace it when she takes the test in a couple of weeks."This program in particular is good because once you get out, you're licensed. You can work. You're qualified for a job in cosmetology," lead teacher Julie Woods said. "It's a nice alternative to a regular high school. They're getting career training. Even if they don't end up going into cosmetology, the learn a lot of life skills."Senior Deyona O'Neal of Randolph said through working with clients she has built her confidence and learned how to be patient."I've definitely built a bond with a lot of the clients. They've taught me how to work outside of the shop," O'Neal said. "You're always going to have a difficult client. I've had a few not-so-polite clients, but at they end, they're happy with how they look. I've learned to be patient and put the client first, before myself."Simon said because they can work with clients, the Blue Hills classroom can feel like an actual salon."You get a lot of experience in many different areas. You get to learn how to work with other students, clients and a teacher/manager," Simon said. "It gives you a great preview of what an actual work environment is like."In the class of 62 students, there is just one boy: sophomore Justin Orchard of Dedham. Orchard's introduction to cosmetology was through Blue Hill's exploratory program students take in freshman year, and he decided to continue with it as a sophomore."It took a little getting used too, but I'm friends with everybody, so it's not that weird," Orchard said.He said the difficulty came not with working with 61 girls, but working with their hair."It's taken me a while to get used to the texture of their hair. It's girl hair, and I'm a guy, so I haven't worked with it often," Orchard said.Woods said when it comes to clients, there is only one difference between men and women's hair, and that's men come in for work on facial hair, such as beard trims. Woods said she'd love to see more boys join the program."I wish there was a way to make eight grade boys and ninth grade boys not care about what people would say if they enter a non-traditional program like this," Woods said.Staff writer Brad Cole can be reached at 781-433-8339 or bcole@wickedlocal.com. Like The Norwood Transcript and Bulletin on Facebook and follow @bradcolewrites and @NorwoodTranscri on Twitter.